getting a little late on the subject, but I just wished to comment on it.
Many hotels in Northern Italy (Alps) and Southern Austria (Alps on the
other side) don't usually accept credit cards; some of those hotels are 3
or 4 stars too. I guess it's because the owners, usually a family, don't
want to give away commissions to credit card companies. This is of course a
nuisance, if you're (like me) travelling with 4 persons and you're going to
stay for a week, paying over usd 1000 in cash.
If you want to stay there for a long time, there are some solutions: a)
paying by a bank cheque b)paying in advance by bank draft or money order.
If you need just a couple nights, you can withdraw the money at ATM or bank
using your own credit or ATM card, as they now seems to work everywhere.